1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a braking apparatus for a vehicle having a brake pedal.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Various apparatuses relating to braking systems are known in the art. Such an apparatus is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,837,552 (the '552 patent) to Reuter, et al. The '552 patent discloses a braking apparatus for a vehicle having a brake pedal. The braking apparatus includes a master cylinder having a reservoir for retaining brake fluid. The braking apparatus further includes a pair of front hydraulically actuated brakes and a pair of rear electrically actuated brakes for braking the vehicle when the brake pedal is depressed. An emulator is in fluid communication with the master cylinder and fills with brake fluid when the brake pedal is depressed to provide consistent pedal feel. However, the emulator lacks a replenishment system to feed the brake fluid to the hydraulically actuated brakes to provide consistent pedal feel and braking pressure while decelerating the vehicle.
Another braking apparatus known in the art is commonly referred to as a brake by wire system. The brake by wire system may include a plurality of electrically actuated brakes or a plurality of electro-hydraulically actuated brakes for decelerating a vehicle when a brake pedal is depressed. The brake by wire system provides immediate braking response when the brake pedal is depressed. However, the typical brake by wire system has many complex parts and is expensive to manufacture.
Therefore, there remains a need to develop a braking apparatus having a replenishment system for delivering brake fluid from an emulator to at least one hydraulically actuated brake to provide consistent pedal feel and braking pressure while providing immediate braking response to decelerate the vehicle.